Reasons to be cheerful?
Gulf overview
General
The main government purchasers of treatment abroad are Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)
The number of patients sponsored for treatment abroad from these countries has increased by 80% since 2012 from 9,738 to 17,742
Treatment is primarily purchased from the UK, Germany and the USA.
Purchasing decisions can be fickle and are effected by diplomatic decisions over which one doesn’t have control
Kuwaiti Government purchasers regularly overspend on the treatment abroad budget and as a result many providers have a significant Kuwaiti debt
The future
There will continue to be investment in health facilities in both the Government and private sectors, however,
The small national populations in each country cannot support the development and maintenance of tertiary level services
Volumes & Values
-
2,000
4,000
6,000
8,000
10,000
12,000
14,000
16,000
18,000
20,000
UAE Kuwait Qatar KSA Total
Patients funded for treatment abroad
2012 2019 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
UAE
Kuwait
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Total
Value of patients funded abroad for treatment £m
How?
The development of international patient flows from the ME region requires a long term strategy that influences all the decision makers involved in the patient pathway: Local Doctors
Hospital Specialty Boards Overseas Treatment Boards
The patient and their family Embassy (Health Office) in the UK
80-85% of sponsored patients will already have a named hospital / consultant before they leave their home country so most activities will need to take place in the local country
To succeed in developing patient referral pathways the following is recommended: Concentrating on tertiary specialties where there is capacity and willingness of consultants and the clinical teams to treat
international patients Raising awareness of your brand including social media campaigns Programme of market visits including
Exhibiting at major healthcare events Participation of Consultants at specialty specific conferences / workshops Involvement of Consultants on Visiting Doctor Programmes
Publication of quality and outcome data